I'm very new to aquariums and newer to his site so please bare with me as I struggle.

I'm trying to decide between a 90 and 60 gallon tank and am leaning towards the 60 gallon. My only worry is that I'll over stock it with the fish I'm hoping to buy.

The fish I plan on buying are a rope fish, black ghost knife, a clown or dojo loach, a pleco (hopefully a zebra).
I arranged them in order from those I'd most like to have to those I'm more flexible with not acquiring.

I'm worried that when these fish are fully grown that the 60 gal tank will be over stocked. I'd gladly buy the 90 gal but it sounds harder to maintain. (these are the two sized tanks i found at a considerable price)

Lastly, I the 60 gal tank is sufficient, would there be room for more fish?

Thank you in advance, I apologize for being a very paranoid and worried future fish owner.

To your question. You will need a very much larger tank than even a 90g for several of the named fish. The Black Ghost Knifefish will (or should if healthy) grow to 20+ inches, and it needs a tank that is wider (front to back) than this so it can turn, at at least 3 times the fish's length. Our profile explains this more. Click the shaded name for the profile. A 90g will work for a time, but I am one who does not condone buying any fish that is potentially larger than the tank I now own; plans to upgrade later do not always come to fruition, and then the poor fish is the loser when it is stunted and unhealthy.

Clown loach also needs a 6-foot tank, and must be in a group. Profile explains more.

Dojo loach has specific needs like cooler temperature than may not be suitable for other fish, so this needs to be kept in mind when selecting the tankmates. It needs a small group of 3, being social, and it may well eat smaller fish [it grows 9-10 inches, but can reach 12 inches]. More info in the profile here too.

The Ropefish [this species is not in our profiles] can attain close to 2 feet, and should also be in a group, so this is needing a much larger tank too.

Profiles are under the second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. Info includes minimum tank sizes, minimum numbers, compatibility issues, water parameters, etc.

Aside from the above, if you have the space for the 90g i would recommend it over the 60g. We all buy a tank that we think will be sufficient, but within no time we find we need more tanks or larger tanks... so start with the 90g. It is a nice sized tank in my view; it has a lot of possibilities.

The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.[unknown source]

Something we all need to remember: The fish you've acquired was quite happy not being owned by you, minding its own business. If you’re going to take it under your wing then you’re responsible for it. Every aspect of its life is under your control, from water quality and temperature to swimming space. [Nathan Hill in PFK]